He can feel his clothes getting tighter as he grows more muscular. He can see baseballs flying further off his bat as he becomes more selective with his swings. But while the University of Louisville's sophomore outfielder can connect these dots without difficulty, the picture it produces may be more of a caricature than a self-portrait.

He views his power as a byproduct, not a purpose.

"I don't think I want to be a power hitter," Ray said Thursday. "I want to be a leadoff hitter with some gap-to-gap (ability) and occasionally the ball will go over the fence. I think I've got the ability to hit at the top of the order and start off a game. I'm not a power hitter by any means."

Ray's statistics would seem to contradict that statement. Though he hit only one home run as a U of L freshman, Ray enters Friday night's NCAA Tournament opener against Morehead State leading the Cardinals in home runs (11), runs batted in (48), hits (77) and total bases (132) as well as slide-off steals of home (1). Yet rather than become seduced by his conspicuous power surge – an affliction common among young ballplayers – Corey Ray still prefers to run than to trot.

"I don't hit a home run because I'm trying to," he said. "If I hit a home run, it's because I got a pitch to hit and I put a good swing on it, not because I go up to the plate like I'm going to hit a home run. I'm not that good.

"I'm more worried about the double or the triple. You can hit a ball in the gap and get things going. I heard Joe Morgan talking when I was younger – I'll never forget this – about how the solo home run is a rally killer. You hit the solo home run and everyone's pumped, but now no one's on base. It's just like we've got to start over."

Much as chicks might dig the long ball, pitchers tend to treat the home run like a bandage in need of removal: one quick jolt and it's over. The sustained rally often entails more prolonged suffering with its deep counts, spoiled pitches and divided attention. Once an accomplished base-stealer reaches safely, it changes how a defense is deployed, what a pitcher might throw and often involves an abbreviated delivery called a slide step. And that's the case whether or not the runner attempts to advance.

Here lies the heart of Corey Ray's game: disruption. He has stolen 32 bases in 41 attempts, has reached base 104 times in 59 games through hits, walks and being hit by pitches, and prides himself on being a pest.

"I focus more on stolen bases than I do home runs," Ray said. "Coach (Dan McDonnell) challenged me at the beginning of the year: 'You're hitting (third), but still be Corey Ray,' My legs are a big part of my game. Any way I can get on, I try to use my legs and make things happen.

"When you get in the dugout and you've hit a home run, I tell myself 'Good swing, but you're not a power hitter. Stay yourself.' The game's too hard. You can't try and change who you are and what you've been doing to be successful. You've got to stay with it."

Though his .324 batting average is one point shy of his 2014 mark, Ray's evolution as a hitter is reflected by his increased oomph. Sometimes impatient as a freshman – "You feel you've got to outshine everybody to get on the field," he said – Ray is learning to take more pitches and wait for the one he can drive.

"He probably shouldn't think he's a power hitter, 'cause he's best when he stays on the ball," McDonnell said. "If there's nobody on and I give him the green light on 3-and-0, he'd probably overswing.

"Where I've been so impressed with Corey this year is he's been at his best when there's runners on base and the game is on the line. Don't try to do too much. ... Keep it simple, make contact move the baseball. And let's be honest: He has that natural power. All you've got to do is watch our (batting practice) one day and the ball comes off his bat a little different. It's coming off with some life. That's why he's a super talent."

Happily, you don't have to think of yourself as a slugger to be one.

Tim Sullivan can be reached at (502) 582-4650, tsullivan@courier-journal.com or @TimSullivan714 on Twitter.